Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, as someone who is a privileged class of the majority (white, male, 25-49), what are the roadblocks? If there's discrimination, isn't that purely the fault of the Y Combinator organisers (in this instance), and is this article then an admission that they've discriminated in the past?
> If there's discrimination, There is. > isn't that purely the fault of the Y Combinator organisers (in this instance) Some of the fault likely is, likely through unacknowledged bias. But discrimination comes in far more systemic forms: if you're a black child you're far more likely to attend a school with concentrated poverty than a white student. You're twice as likely to have teachers that are brand new, or have v…
Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
31–40 of 88 posts
Re: Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
> If there's discrimination, There is. > isn't that purely the fault of the Y Combinator organisers (in this instance) Some of the fault likely is, likely through unacknowledged bias. But discrimination comes in far more systemic forms: if you're a black child you're far more likely to attend a school with concentrated poverty than a white student. You're twice as likely to have teachers that are brand new, or have v…
this argument supports reaching out to everyone who might have experienced educational and social disadvantages not just potential black applicants.
Re: Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
#33to be very clear, we do just try to recruit the best people regardless of race, gender, etc. you have to cast a wide net to do that.
Re: Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
#34This is awesome. A diversity of people will bring a diversity of ideas. You can find highly intelligent, driven people from all walks of life, it's a shame that there's a process broken in self-selection for software engineering and bay area startups. Although it's probably not just diverse self-selection that needs work, I imagine there's probably forms of discrimination and roadblocks that privileged classes of the…
So, as someone who is a privileged class of the majority (white, male, 25-49), what are the roadblocks? If there's discrimination, isn't that purely the fault of the Y Combinator organisers (in this instance), and is this article then an admission that they've discriminated in the past?
I am also "white" and in 25-49 group (towards the upper end, though), grew up in a different country, had my first home PC during the second year of MS degree with money earned from giving private lessons. None of my friends in the 80s had PCs. I am still struggling to bring my coding skills up to par caused from such a late start. I was not "privileged" in any way or form.
I'm now volunteering at a poor neighborhood high school in Chivago, teaching them Python and helping the FRC Team do the programming. I don't for this because I felt sorry for my privileges, I do it because it's the right thing to do.
Certain aspects of life may be correlated with skin color, we still shouldn't lump the two together.
Re: Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
#35Re: Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, as someone who is a privileged class of the majority (white, male, 25-49), what are the roadblocks? If there's discrimination, isn't that purely the fault of the Y Combinator organisers (in this instance), and is this article then an admission that they've discriminated in the past?
Black male here, aged 18-25, Computer Science and Design student in my final semester of University. The roadblocks from a racial perspective is lack of resources and education, there is a fair amount of poverty within black America. Did you have access to a computer growing up? Maybe you had one or two in your house? Then you may have been able to learn more about programming from a younger age, or maybe you had a c…
Re: Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
#37As a young black entrepreneur that has known about YC for years now and have followed them and their large portfolio, I think they are making a smart move toward reaching out to a community where people aren't aware of programs like YC and the opportunities they provide.
Re: Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
#38Surely Y Combinator should just recruit people that do the job the best, whether they are white,black..etc
I'm pretty sure that "recruit", in this context, means "expose to Y Combinator and encourage to apply if they have a good idea", not "give them a higher chance of being accepted because they are black".
Re: Y Combinator to recruit more black entrepreneurs
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, as someone who is a privileged class of the majority (white, male, 25-49), what are the roadblocks? If there's discrimination, isn't that purely the fault of the Y Combinator organisers (in this instance), and is this article then an admission that they've discriminated in the past?
Black male here, aged 18-25, Computer Science and Design student in my final semester of University. The roadblocks from a racial perspective is lack of resources and education, there is a fair amount of poverty within black America. Did you have access to a computer growing up? Maybe you had one or two in your house? Then you may have been able to learn more about programming from a younger age, or maybe you had a c…
Systematic discrimination due to unequal access to infrastructure really, really sucks for the black community as a whole, but if you managed to overcome it as an individual there are multiple interrelated reasons why you have a massive advantage in startups/tech that you probably aren't aware of yet.
Firstly, the market is ruthless. You can't lie to yourself or others in a startup -- the thing you're doing really has to work, so the decisions you're making have to be right. You're white, had a great education, and a well-padded resume? If you don't make precisely the right choices, the market couldn't care less, your company will die. Now, white well educated people with well-padded resumes will probably have easier access to venture capital, but that brings me to my next point.
In my (totally unscientific) experience, skin color, education, and experience has no correlation whatsoever with fluid intelligence (essentially, how well you make decisions without knowledge). In a big company, fluid intelligence doesn't really matter all that much -- the culture is well established, you aren't that important, and if you can just play ball the way everyone else does, you'll do ok. Not so in a startup. In a startup you're dealing with completely new territory, so you have to figure things out from scratch, all the time. You might as well take your knowledge, and your experience, and your education, and throw it all away because it will make a zilch of difference. Fluid intelligence is everything because you have to figure everything out from scratch.
All the white, well-educated, experienced young men who have relatively easy access to VC capital? Without fluid intelligence and wits about them, they'll just burn through it and be left with nothing at the end. The market is ruthless -- it doesn't care. So you're on equal footing.
Finally, the space is hyper-competitive and even in a recession there is too much capital chasing too few good ideas. All those white, traditional, middle aged male VC partnerships really need a win. And I mean really, because if they don't get one they won't raise the next fund, and if they don't raise the next fund they won't be able to pay property taxes and their kids's private school tuitions, and they really, really don't want to end up there. Don't like black people? Have unacknowledged bias? Too bad -- your kids are going to public school next year. So if you come in with a killer idea and the seeds of a working business, you bet they'll invest. The pressure's too high not to. They might care what you look like, but the market doesn't care about them. The market is ruthless and indifferent, and forces them to act ruthless and indifferent, because if they act on their prejudices their fund will die.
This is getting a bit long, so here's my TL;DR: if you've been discriminated against your whole life and want to start a company, don't get discouraged. The market is ruthless and indifferent -- it doesn't care about you, or me, or anyone. For you, that's an advantage. Build something people want and you will be rewarded.